There is disclosed herein a method for producing toner compositions containing wax and the resulting toner compositions produced thereby. More particularly, the exemplary embodiment of this disclosure relates to controlling surface wax and wax protrusions in the production of emulsion aggregation (EA) toner compositions. The exemplary embodiments find particular application in conjunction with toner compositions for printing, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present exemplary embodiment is also amenable to other like applications.
Wax may be incorporated in toner particles to improve certain properties such as release or hot offset characteristics of the toner. In toners prepared by the emulsion-aggregation process, there are two approaches for incorporating the wax in toner particles. Wax can be deposited on the surface of the toner particles after they have been formed or wax may be incorporated within the materials that are aggregated together at the outset of the toner formation process. To accomplish the latter, the wax should be in the form of a dispersion of wax in water. Specifically, the wax particles are generally less than a micron in volume average diameter and are suspended in water and stabilized by a dispersant system which is also generally a surfactant (nonionic or ionic) or a surfactant combination (nonionic and ionic or ionic-ionic).
As noted, toner particles may contain wax, either within the interior of the particle or along the particle exterior. Wax, and typically an excessive amount of wax, contaminates developing rolls, photoreceptors, carriers, and other components and surfaces in printing equipment. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a toner composition that exhibited wax characteristics yet avoided the noted contamination problems.
The present exemplary embodiment contemplates a new and improved toner composition which overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.